


Soft Like Iron

by grasssea



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/F, Knives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-21
Updated: 2016-11-21
Packaged: 2018-09-01 05:23:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8610433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grasssea/pseuds/grasssea
Summary: Elements alone tend to be brittle, weak. Alloys are stronger. Maze knows metallurgy, but not relationships. Luckily, Linda is easily impressed.





	

**Author's Note:**

> More Lindaze fluff. Thanks to titconao3 and profoundtruth on tumblr for giving me some ideas to get this rolling!

“Are they real?” Linda asked softly. She had the startled doe look that Maze found both adorable and slightly worrying. It meant the doctor was wrestling with with serious questions about the nature of existence again.

“Real as you or me,” Maze answered, hoping they wouldn’t have to break out the theology textbooks again.

Linda hesitated, then asked, “Can I hold them?”

Maze couldn’t think of any reason why not. It was certainly a better option than existential crises. She trusted the doctor not to cut her fingers off or anything equally silly. They were all grownups here.

“Sure.”

Linda handled the demon blades with care, holding them gingerly at first and then carefully closing her fists around them, confidence growing every second. Maze leaned back to give her some space. Warriors needed a chance to prove themselves.

Linda made a few desultory passes at the air, firm slashing motions that had Maze nodding her head in approval. The good doctor had surprisingly solid form.

“Not bad,” Maze admitted, “But keep your arms closer to your chest and your elbows higher.”

The resulting jabs were practically demon worthy. Linda had the slightly flushed look of someone having a lot of fun doing something slightly taboo, and that alone made Maze smile.

“Pretty good. You’ve got a solid base there.” she said, admiringly. Fighting in heels was never easy, Maze knew that all too well, but Linda’s stance was set in stone.

Linda used her forearm to push some errant hair and of her face and beamed. “I took a self defense class, years ago when I first moved here. Bad experience with muggers. This isn’t too different from using your keys as a weapon.”

“Aside from the whole demon blade thing.” Maze pointed out lightly, and stepped in close so she could correct Linda’s posture. “Don’t hunch in, it just robs your blows of their strength. And try to keep your center of gravity lower.”

Linda shifted, and Maze could feel the wiry, yoga toned muscles moving in her back, under the thin silk of her blouse.  
  
“Like this?”

“Yeah.” Maze said, and tugged the doctor’s hips a little further back. “Perfect.”

“I feel unsteady.” Linda admitted.

“You’ve got to practice.” Maze told her. “It’s all about muscle memory. At least that’s what I’ve heard.”

Linda twisted her head to look back at Maze. “Did you? Have to practice, I mean.”

Maze shook her head. “No, not like a- a human would. I was always made to be a fighter, so I was never bad at it. But I did get better over time, learn different tricks. Develop new techniques.”

“Sounds pretty human to me.” Linda said casually, and punched the air. Her aim was still a little loose, Maze noted, but that would improve. Between exploratory blows that sliced through the soft ylang-ylang scented emptiness, Linda added with feigned nonchalance, “How’s the job going?”

“It’s… good,” Maze answered thoughtfully, focus growing blurry as she tried to figure out how to best answer a question like that- a friend question. She kept her grip on Linda’s hips tight though, wary of the miniscule probability that the doctor would topple and impale herself. “I managed to forge my way through the certification requirements for bounty hunting. Chloe is pretending she isn’t aware of that. I still have to take some dumb class on how I’m allowed to apprehend people, which is boring. Until then I can only legally track them down. Paperwork is stupid but there’s less of it than at Lux. And the money is good.”

“That sounds good?” Linda said uncertainly. “As long as you’re happy with it.”

Happy? She had to puzzle over that one for a while. “I am,” she decided finally. “It’s fun. Even if I do get speeding tickets.”

Linda paused in her attempted murder of whatever invisible enemy was in front of her. She looked genuinely distraught. “You got a ticket?”

Maze shrugged. “I talked my way out of it.” Her arresting officer had been a real sap. One little lie about promising to pick her roommate’s kid up from school, one smile… it had been easy.

“Yes, but that still means you were breaking the law,” Linda said, disappointment written over her face. “Do you know how many people are killed by car accidents every year?”

“No. How many?”

“I don’t _know_! But it’s a lot! You could have been killed!” Linda’s fretting stopped in its tracks, “Wait, you can die, right?”

“ _Yes_ ,” Maze assured her, “But some mortal car accident? Probably not the biggest threat to my unlife.”

“Still, you could get seriously hurt,” Linda said, scolding, “And I know you don’t have health insurance.”

“I’ll be fine,” Maze promised, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. She rested her chin on Linda’s shoulder instead. “Humans. You’re totally fine with me showing you my knives forged in the depths of hell but you shudder at the thought of anyone breaking seventy on the freeway.”

There was a hint of a smile in Linda’s voice along with the admonishment. “Yes, there’s a reason for that. A very human reason.”

Maze quirked an eyebrow. “Really?”

Linda nodded and twisted in Maze’s arms, so they were facing each other, the blades caught between them. “Demon knives are sexy,” Linda said firmly, “Car crashes are not.”

Maze took the twin knives from Linda’s unresisting hands and tossed them onto the desk. “I’ll remember that.” she said, as Linda closed the space between them. “I’ll admit, I didn’t take you for the sort of person who had a deadly weapon fetish.”

“It’s an interest, not a-” Linda began to protest, but stopped when she saw Maze’s smirk. “That wasn’t very nice.” she said, with gentle rebuke.

“Demon.” Maze reminded her.

“I know.” Linda said, voice pitching a little high with some emotion Maze couldn’t identify. “A demon with demon knives and everything.”

“Are you upset?” Maze asked

“No,” Linda said thoughtfully, “Just… adjusting. Making a mental note to never let you drive my car again.”

Maze snorted. Neither of them were tall, she or Linda. In the right shoes they were almost the exact same height. It was nice to be able to lean against someone else and feel their breath warm on her neck, their arms wrapped around chest. It felt comfortable, equitable. It almost felt right. She wasn’t a cuddler, but with Linda she could deal.

Linda was kind enough to tug away after a few minutes, before Maze had time to get antsy. She smiled, a ruffled, confused sort of smile, but still a smile.

“Can I play with your knives some more?” she asked, and Maze knew she’d picked the right sort of human.

“Sure. If we go outside I can teach you how to throw them.”

“ _Really_ ?” 


End file.
